X-boxes... what's the story... we know nothing!

[Fab Foodie]

So ....

11 y/o son desperately wants an X-box. We have a Wii which he uses a fair bit and we do Rock-Band n'stuff and he uses for COD, but it does seem a bit limited software-wise so he want's an X-box.

So what should we go for?
What are the choices/options?

Where are doing good deals?

We know nothing about this stuff!

 

[Cubist]

Cubester bought himself one yesterday.
For £140 he got an X-Box, one wireless controller, Medal Of Honour, and a month's X-Box Online silver membership. Apparently gaming online is all the rage. He got that at a Game store, trading in a Nintendo DS and a PS2 plus enough PS2 games to stock a small library. I'm going to miss Gun Griffon Blaze and Alpine Racer 3!

Given the choice between that and a PS3 it was all down to simple economics. PS3 are still very expensive!

 

[biggs682]

be prepared to never see your sibling again apart from food

we brought one last xmas for step son along with Call of Duty for all we know or see of him he has played on it every day since

so be warned

 

[surfdude]

if you do get one becareful about letting him go online .if you do make sure when you ve paid to clear all you card details from it .my son got his hacked last year and we had £600 taken out of our bank account .2 hours on the phone to microsoft got it sorted and the money refunded

as biggs682 said you will never see them again if you let them go online so from the start set limts .

 

[marinyork]

It's not that complicated. They used to have quite a few consoles but a while ago they stopped making the original consoles. They just make the 'slim'. You want this anyway even if theoretically you could get hold of an older one. They come either with 250Gb HD or 4Gb flash. If you don't think you'll be downloading loads of demos and games and downloadable games you can get away with the 4Gb version. The slim is smaller, quieter and so on. The issue was much more complicated in the past as the xboxes originally didn't have HDMI on and then only on some models and so on.

I'd have a look about the different bundles that are knocking around with the 4Gb version except the Harry Potter bundled in ones.

 

[Ste T.]

The 4gb HD are perfectly good, but if you can stretch a bit further to the 250gb HD you wont regret it. It means you can load all your games on and they will run completely silently and load levels instantly. You may not think that you are going to go online to play free demos and I certainly didn't, but now I go on xbox live to multiplay and have twenty of my own games and over fifty free games loaded and wouldn't be without it. Had I bought the 4gb, then 4 or 5 decent free demos would have filled it up.

 

[Cardiac]

I concur - get the hard disk version if you can. There is an increasing tendency for games houses to make either whole games, or at least significant additional content, only available as downloads. (Reasons are that it gives them more control over pricing and it helps to remove the lost revenue that is represented by the second-hand games market.)

And I know that the OP asked about Xbox, and I don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" debate, but the Sony PS3 is a fine machine, and as I understand it there is no standing charge for their online network, whereas there is for Xbox Live.

 

[PaulSB]

So ....

11 y/o son desperately wants an X-box. We have a Wii which he uses a fair bit and we do Rock-Band n'stuff and he uses for COD, but it does seem a bit limited software-wise so he want's an X-box.

So what should we go for?
What are the choices/options?

Where are doing good deals?

We know nothing about this stuff!

Fortunately we don't need to buy this stuff any more - I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year, kids are all grown up!! However after years of supplying three boys with electronic equipment my advice is look around very carefully as there are myriad deals. Once you have found the best deal visit the store and be ready to haggle, you may well get extra stuff thrown in for free - in this respect online is not alwasy the cheaper / better result. I've found Comet will often do a "manager's special" if they need to hit targets.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I probably know less than you if that helps!

 

[ventoux50]

My lad (aged 5) is pestering us for a nintendo DS or a Wii, both self and Mrs V are trying to postpone buying one for as long as we can, all his mates at school seem to have one at home though, so it's getting harder to deny him one !

The trouble is, all the parents reckon that they wish they'd never bought one, as the kid/s are never off them and conversation in the house has ceased !


I admit I like the idea of a Wii, just because it seems to be a little bit more 'physically active' than some of the others, but I'm not sure, are they the work of the devil or a worthwhile addition to family life ?

 

[Piemaster]

if you do get one becareful about letting him go online .if you do make sure when you ve paid to clear all you card details from it .my son got his hacked last year and we had £600 taken out of our bank account .2 hours on the phone to microsoft got it sorted and the money refunded

as biggs682 said you will never see them again if you let them go online so from the start set limts .

You can avoid inputting credit card details altogether. The game retailers all sell XBOX Live gold membership cards (just got a 12 + 2 extra months free for £40 something) and if they want points the same - scratch type cards are available for it.
Son gets pocket money paid monthly into his bank account and then buys the cards himself as he wants them.

 

[surfdude]

You can avoid inputting credit card details altogether. The game retailers all sell XBOX Live gold membership cards (just got a 12 + 2 extra months free for £40 something) and if they want points the same - scratch type cards are available for it.
Son gets pocket money paid monthly into his bank account and then buys the cards himself as he wants them.

found out about these after the event

 

[TrevorM]

The trouble is, all the parents reckon that they wish they'd never bought one, as the kid/s are never off them and conversation in the house has ceased !

I have 4 children now aged 21-14 and I can't honestly say the only thing I would do different is NEVER BUY AN XBOX. My 16 year old has no interest in anything else except playing online with his friends. All other hobbies have stopped and he has no interest in school work. Of course I am the parent and set the rules but it means every day is a battle and our relationship is now bad. I can't even get him out of the house during summer holidays. Sometimes, if I forget to disable it, I find him playing in the middle of the night with some 'friends' in US or Korea or somewhere. So you are never sure who he is online with. So to the OP, think carefully before you get one. Set the ground rules from the start and stick to them.

I admit I like the idea of a Wii, just because it seems to be a little bit more 'physically active' than some of the others, but I'm not sure, are they the work of the devil or a worthwhile addition to family life ?

My daughter has a Wii and to me it's the opposite of an XBox. When she plays we usually play together and have good time together.

I have to ask as nobody else seems to mind. But why would you let an 11 year old play COD? Most versions have an 18+ rating?

 

[surfdude]

I have 4 children now aged 21-14 and I can't honestly say the only thing I would do different is NEVER BUY AN XBOX. My 16 year old has no interest in anything else except playing online with his friends. All other hobbies have stopped and he has no interest in school work. Of course I am the parent and set the rules but it means every day is a battle and our relationship is now bad. I can't even get him out of the house during summer holidays. Sometimes, if I forget to disable it, I find him playing in the middle of the night with some 'friends' in US or Korea or somewhere. So you are never sure who he is online with. So to the OP, think carefully before you get one. Set the ground rules from the start and stick to them.

sounds just like my house . cant agree more with this

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I have to ask as nobody else seems to mind. But why would you let an 11 year old play COD? Most versions have an 18+ rating?

I mind. I have an XBox and "Modern Warfare 2" which was the big release last year.... there's no way I'd let anyone under 18 play COD games, even at 38 I found it quite graphic and more than a little bit disturbing, seeing men screaming and reaching for lost limbs etc. That's not something I'd want to desensitise young kids from.